Erie Canal Greenway plan announced; new Canal Corp. director

In rather significant news for the NY State Canal System, a new Canal Corp. director has been named -- Troy's Carmella Mantello -- and the Pataki administration is promising to develop the Erie Canal corridor as a greenway, to hook up with other designated greenways in the state. What is a greenway? "A greenway is generally defined as a corridor that preserves natural landscapes and historical spots and offers recreation, often along a waterway."

Hm. This seems to me to be mainly a splashy announcement enabling the Canal Corp. to save face. What do we really get out of it? Another task force, of course.

Middle section opens tomorrow

The remaining closed parts of the middle section of the Erie Canal will open tomorrow, finally getting the whole system open for the season. The Oswego Canal was able to open on Saturday.

Bad news, good news

Water levels on the Seneca River are still up, but receding. The Syracuse Post-Standard has an update on the anticipated opening of the middle section. Meanwhile there's also a story on canal prep, annual traffic, and how commercial use of the canal has increased somewhat over the past few years. The Utica Observer-Dispatch also has a canal opening story.

Wisconsin schooner travels the canal

Rather daredevil of them considering the the nagging high water problems for the canal's opening, but the Denis Sullivan, a Great Lakes schooner and goodwill ambassador for the state of Wisconsin, is making its way back home to Milwaukee via the Erie and Oswego canals. It was in Little Falls on Wednesday and made it to Sylvan Beach on Thursday.

Middle section won't open on May 1

Not again?!? Due to high water, all canals in Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego and Madison counties will not open with the rest of the system on Sunday. Wow, this sucks big time, especially for the businesses that were hit by last year's flooding.

Barge Canal centennial

Rather unnoticed by the media was this past weekend's centennial commemoration of the construction of the New York State Barge Canal -- or, the modern-day Erie Canal. The project began on April 23, 1905 and wasn't completed until 1918.

To ATV or not to ATV?

One of the wildest and woolliest undeveloped sections of the Canalway Trail, between Jordan and Port Byron in Cayuga County (actually, the trail is pretty woolly from Camillus to Jordan as well), is undergoing discussion about its development. It's unclear from this Auburn Citizen article whether the trail will be on the old towpath, or actually on the shoulder of Route 31 (which would suck incredibly hard). But from the ATV discussion, I suppose it must be off-road.

But ATVs on the Old Erie? Do they allow this elsewhere? I've never heard of it. Way to kill the ambiance, folks. Rrrrrvrrrrm rrrrvvrrrm rrvvrrrm SPLASH! (Oh, and drunken ATV'ers should be lotsa laffs around Lock 51 as well.)

Oh buoy!

Howard Ohlhous at NYCanals.com shares photos of a buoy boat readying the canal for the Sunday opening of the full Canal's 181st season of fine boating.

How do they know where to precisely drop the buoys so they match up to the chart? Speculation continues...

Canal Corp boys with their buoy toys. Photo by Howard Ohlhous.

Rochester's Broad Street tunnel to be filled in

The Rochester D&C reports this morning that city officials have decided to go ahead with filling in the old Broad Street subway tunnel, which was also once the bed of the Erie Canal in the city. Historians, especially canal fans, are dismayed by the decision. Read more about the tunnel, its history, and its spooky appeal to urban explorers.

Broad Street Tunnel: doomed.

Pendleton canal break repair expected

A communique from the Canal Corp. notes that the serious canal break at Pendleton is not expected to delay the canal's May 1 opening date in the western section.

Brockport readies new Welcome Center

Brockport's new canalside Welcome Center is due for completion by the end of this month, with a grand opening date to be announced soon. This facility will serve boaters, hikers and cyclists.

Stop, you crazy kids

The Post-Standard also reports that people on motorbikes are tearing up Jordan's Erie Canal park (which is actually just the old canal bed with grass and flowers planted). Town board recommendation: Bigger, meaner signs.

Jordan Erie Canal Park, prior to recent reign of knobby-wheeled terror.

Camillus aqueduct project still proceeding

From the Syracuse Post-Standard comes the latest on the Camillus Aqueduct project. Town officials have been quietly fundraising behind the scenes to continue with the restoration. Bids for the project came in much too high last year, from $2 to $3 million; the town had secured only $1.2 million. It is estimated that $500,000 more is needed (to bring the project in at an estimated $1.7 million). The town seems hopeful that work might start by the end of summer, but more realistically, it would be spring 2006.

Meanwhile, the Camillus Erie Canal Park gears up for another season.

Waiting for funds.